Vampires
Vampirism is an affliction that has long persisted in Thelania. Though its exact origins remain somewhat uncertain it is presumed to have first come into existence somewhere in the Isles of Zotora. By some it is considered a curse, by others a blessing and by many simply a different state of being, but however you might look upon them Vampires are just as much a part of the world as any others. Appearance In physical appearance vampires do not vary greatly from their base race, being an affliction Vampires are not in and of themselves a separate race from any other, most races are capable of contracting vampirism. As such an elven vampire would look much like his elven non-vampire brethren just as a human vampire would still look human. Though being a vampire brings many changes to a persons physical capabilities their outward appearances do not much change, though there are some few characteristics common among them. Vampires eyes can often give them away as they turn red when emotions are out of control or the need for blood becomes too strong, particularly when around a great deal of blood. For a person whose eyes are naturally red of course this change is not so obvious to the untrained eye, however their fangs similarly extend in such situations making their natures more clearly known. A vampire can learn to retain better control over these changes, to an impressive degree in order to hide their condition from being revealed by such things as anger though large amounts of blood or a deep hunger for it left unsated still cannot be resisted in such manner and will still change their eyes and extend their fangs. Traits & Abilities Vampires take on many changes from their base race in terms of physical abilities including lengthened lifespans, increased strength, heightened senses, and the ability to spread the affliction to others. Along with these of course come what many view as downsides or flaws such as the need to consume blood for sustenance. It is important to note that vampirism and dhampirism are both afflictions that affect only the Races of Man and not the Races of Myth. A vampires lifespan is often extended for hundreds or thousands of years beyond its natural span depending on their base race, however they are not wholly immortal or eternal but simply much longer lived. Typically this also serves to slow the aging process of a vampire as well though this may present in one of two different manners, the first would be that someone born as a vampire will reach full physical maturity before their aging slows, the second is applied only to those who are turned into a vampire after they are born, at the point of their physical maturity at which they were turned is instead when their aging slows. Note that it is merely slowed and not entirely halted, someone turned into a vampire as a child would still in theory someday reach physical maturity, but it would become a considerably more gradual process. The aging process of later years is lessened more notably so that even a vampire who is comparably as old as their non vampire counterpart would still appear less worn by the years being less inclined to wrinkles and other signs of old age. Any vampire is usually notably stronger than simple appearance would at first suggest, this does not however extend into realms far beyond the natural capabilities of their base race. As this is merely a strengthening of ones own physical power a well muscled human vampire might reach strength beyond that of an average Orc for example, but a vampiric Orc of any considerable stature would naturally be stronger than the human vampire. Their increase of speed and reflex or heightened senses works quite similarly, not boosting ones abilities into entirely unnatural realms for their race but instead simply beyond what one would anticipate of their base races. An elven vampires hearing would always be better than a vampire humans, and a beastmans sense of smell as a vampire is not likely to be surpassed by a vampiric halflings. All vampires possess fangs that they can use to puncture flesh and gain access to the blood needed to keep them healthy and which they also may use to spread their affliction to others. This is a somewhat more complicated process than one might initially expect as it requires more than simply draining blood to turn someone into a vampire and if not performed in full can lead to Dhampirism instead. To turn someone into a vampire another vampire must drink from them and willfully 'inject' the affliction with their bite, something that does not happen simply through a normal feeding bite unless intended. Then the vampire must share of their own blood with the person they are turning in order to complete the process, a person who is not fed the blood of the vampire who began the process of turning them within moments of their bite will not become a vampire but instead a dhampir. While vampires gain many 'perks' from their condition it comes with some few but considerable weaknesses as well. Vampires in Thelania have no issue with the sun, crossing moving water or entering homes unbidden as in some myths, but their need for blood is their most pressing flaw. In order to remain truly healthy a vampire must consume quantities of blood in proportion to their own size, thus a halfling vampire would require less to sate them and indeed be unable to consume as much as an orcish vampire. This need must be tended at least every few days and a vampire cannot live solely on the blood of animals, instead to remain in good health they should consume blood of their own base race when able but otherwise are able to survive on the blood of other Races of Man. Animal blood might buy a vampire time between feedings for a while but to maintain their strength such feedings should be kept to a minimum as a vampire who starves or otherwise malnourishes themselves such as in this manner will begin to wane considerably in power both physical and magical with each passing day until they become too feeble even to move and die, even if they continue to eat normal food. Indeed vampires are quite capable of consuming normal foods and should continue to do so regularly as well to balance their intake of other important nutrition. History The vampire affliction is rumored to have come from the archipelago of Zotora off the north eastern coast of Fahrum, though this theory has not been entirely proven it is well grounded enough that it generally accepted in even most well learned circles. It is said that vampirism - and through it dhampirism - came into being as a result of the ancient practices of the Zotoran natives in which those aspiring to become a tribe leader partook of the blood or marrow of their current undead leader in order to better absorb what wisdom they were able. While this practice is not much used in modern days in most tribes vampires and dhampirs are regardless quite prevalent and deeply respected by the islanders. Despite their welcoming in Zotora however some people of Thelania do not look so kindly upon vampires and in fact in some regions such as Aethyrlan they are even persecuted along with necromancers as unnatural abominations. As vampires are comparably only a small percentage of any races population their history is much varied and dependent upon the beliefs and customs of the people with whom they live. Outside of Zotora some few and small collections of vampires have been known to band together and to live beyond the borders of other kingdoms under their own rule so as to maintain their privacy and avoid hostile or otherwise undesired attentions from non-vampires. Generally however vampires often just fill roles among other societies as any other would, whether they hide their condition or are open about it, they are to be found scattered among most other lands and have no often been known to instigate war with others, leaving their history rather uneventful on the whole. Culture & Lore Because they tend to live normal lives among other populations in small numbers vampires do not typically have any culture of their own, the largest percentage of vampires is likely of Zotoran heritage and live among the other natives of the islands sharing in their lives. What few vampire specific settlements there might be are often still similar of culture to those whom they live nearest to though their ways of life integrate manners in which they may safely feed to survive. While many who do not understand them fear vampires they are not at all evil beings and vary as much in personality and morality as any other person and more often seek to lead quiet lives than to enslave those who are not their kind for food at all. That said of course there have been some vampires of lacking ethics who have starred in the histories of some lands and served to further ill informed misconceptions of those with the affliction. Trivia * A number of the people who once inhabited Elethar were vampires, this led to much hardship for those that fled with the other inhabitants to Aethyrlan when their comrades fear drove them to shun such peoples. * Notable Vampires from the Thelania stories include: Oralanalia (Human Turned). Category:Setting Category:Afflictions Category:Races Category:Fauna Category:Races of Man